Lapis Lazuli

[Wwoofa]

Hi,
This month's "Gem of the Month" is .... Lapis Lazuli.

Feel free to add more info & pics. If anyone has any questions about Lapis Lazuli then this is a good place to post them.

You might like to change your "Gem of the Month" votes now that this one has been covered.

General Information:
Lapis Lazuli can be described as an impure variety of the mineral Lazurite, however, more accurately it is a type of rock containing primarily Lazurite (25-40%), Calcite and Pyrite. It has a very distinctive blue colour (due to the Lazurite). Too much pyrite causes a dull, greenish tint. In the best quality specimens the colour is evenly distributed but in general it is spotty or striated.

Here are a few useful links that should cover all of the main information and there's lots of good pics too.

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapis_lazuli
Gemdat - www.gemdat.org/gem-2330.html
Mindat - www.mindat.org/min-2330.html
Minerals.Net - www.minerals.net/gemstone/lapis_lazuli_gemstone.aspx

Fossicking Locations:
Unfortunately, Lapis Lazuli can't be found in Australia. Mines in northeast Afghanistan are still the major source. Important amounts are also produced from mines west of Lake Baikal in Russia, and in the Andes mountains in Chile. Smaller quantities are mined in Italy, Mongolia, the United States and Canada.

[Wwoofa]

Here's a link to a video about a mine in Afghanistan ...

http://www.infomine.com/library/videos/837c0/lapis_lazuli_mining_in_sari-i-sang_in_northern_afghanistan.aspx